Printing and embossing credit, identification, promotional, or similar type cards has been practiced for some time. The current practice for making cards of this type generally involves first printing information onto a sheet of cards, using an inkjet or similar type printer. The printed information is typically static information, that is, the same information is printed on each card. Next, an ultraviolet coat or a lamination layer is applied to the sheet of cards. Third, individual cards are punched or cut from the sheet. Lastly, the cards are embossed with static information or individualized information. When static information is to be embossed on the cards, the process to emboss static information is costly and time consuming. Using the current practice, static information is embossed one character, letter, or image at a time, or must be altered for each card. Additionally, the static information for each card must be programmed individually, taking up valuable computer space and programmer time.
Several U.S. Patents have been granted on variations and improvements to machines that follow the current practice. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,088,216, 4,271,012, 4,784,059, 4,789,420, 4,969,760, 5,505,514, and 6,142,370, all issued to LaManna et al. (collectively, the LaManna Patents), disclose embossing systems that use rotating embossing wheels and a transport mechanism to emboss a desired character at a desired location on the card. In operation, the card is transported to a reference position relative to the embossing wheel, the embossing wheel is rotated so that the desired character is at the appropriate point, and the desired character is embossed. The latter patents mentioned above offer improvements to the transport mechanism, the control system used to emboss a batch or series of cards, and variations involving multiple embossing wheels as well as additional processes involved in producing credit cards. In these inventions, each character is individually embossed, which consumes precious processing time, especially when the same characters are repeated on every card. Additionally, each embossing wheel typically has letters or characters of only one font or pitch width. If additional fonts or pitch widths are desired, multiple wheels are required, which can add cost and complexity to card production.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,091,910, issued to Bolton et al., discloses an electronically controlled embossing machine for embossing alpha-numeric characters on flexible sheets, such as plastic credit cards. The machine uses two constantly rotating embossing wheels which carry radially moveable embossing molds about their peripheries. One embossing wheel carries male or projecting embossing molds; the second wheel carries matching female or intaglio embossing molds. Selection of a desired character causes the appropriate male and female molds to move radially outward on each wheel. A credit card blank is disposed between the embossing wheels, where the rotating wheels cause the desired character to be embossed in the card through a rolling-squeezing process.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,706, issued to Duea, discloses another embossing method and apparatus that uses a rotatable embossing wheel. U.S. Pat. No. 4,519,600, issued to Warwick et al., discloses a card feeding, transfer and output apparatus for an automatic embossing system like those disclosed in the LaManna patents. U.S. Pat. No. 5,070,781, issued to Lundstrom et al., discloses a card embossing apparatus and method based on the LaManna patents. U.S. Pat. No. 4,384,711, issued to Gabel et al., discloses a card feeding apparatus for an automatic embossing system, like those disclosed in the LaManna patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,961, issued to Kazo et al., discloses a multi-hopper card embossing apparatus. The disclosed apparatus adds functionality to the embossing machines described above. The added functionality results from multiple input hoppers, wherein cards of different types can be staged prior to processing. This allows the apparatus to process the various cards without having to stop the machine and load new types of cards. However, the actual embossing mechanism is similar to those described above. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,920,055 discloses a card transport mechanism and method of operation, where the transport mechanism is suitable for use in the embossing systems described above.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,732,082, issued to Ireton, discloses a preassembled set of embossing rolls. The embossing rolls can emboss a reoccurring pattern onto a sheet of material that is fed through the rolls. The rollers have corresponding male and female dies that impart a three dimensional shape to a sheet of material disposed between the rolls.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,968,607, issued to Lovison, discloses a device and method for etch and emboss process printing. Lovison uses a series of rollers to emboss patterns into thick layers of ink on a sheet of material.
None of the inventions described above disclose a way to emboss information onto a sheet of material prior to the material being cut into individual cards. Nor do they disclose how cards with information embossed on them could be further processed to add additional information or undergo further embossing.
Thus there is a need to develop a system that can emboss information onto a sheet of material prior to the material being cut into individual cards. There is a further need to develop a system to process pre-embossed cards such that the cards do not stack tightly together, i.e., nest, and allow for further processing, such as individualized embossing, foiling, magnetic strip encoding, and the like.